


A Home Away From Home

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cuban Lance (Voltron), Finding Shiro, Gen, Original Character(s), Spanish Lance (Voltron), Voltron, quiznak, space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-14 23:36:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11218605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Sometimes, home comes to you.The Paladins struggle to adapt to the sudden absence of Shiro. Without the Black Paladin, the team must learn to rely more on outside forces to help them find Shiro, leading to an unexpected Galra ally.





	1. Empty Space (Prologue)

_ That’s gonna leave a mark. _

 

 The team had been training harder and longer since their last mission. Nobody dared speak about it, or Shiro. They really, really missed Shiro. It was blatantly obvious during meetings, when they all looked to the empty space where Shiro once stood.

 

 Lance always thought about these things while showering. He found that a hot shower helped clear his head, especially after a brutal match with the Gladiator. The bruises on his body multiplied with every consequent level of difficulty. He chose to skip his skin care routine for today, his flawless complexion could take it, and he was tired. He put on his pants and a t-shirt, and then started making his way to the dining room. Hands in his pockets, he strolled through the halls of the castle, not stopping to admire the stylish architecture or the cool doors, he had done that many times before.

 

_  I swear, if Coran’s cooking, I’ll throw myself out the window. Well, that’s going to be hard since there are none in this godforsaken place.  _ At that thought, his hands went deeper into his pockets, reaching a wrinkled up piece of paper he didn’t know existed. He sat down on his self-assigned seat at the dining table and carefully took the little paper out of his pocket. He knew what it was. He held his breath as he unfolded the picture. Two teenagers smiled at him, a boy and a girl. The girl was sporting her bushy hair in a messy bun, her skin was golden bronze, and her eyes were a deep shade of blue, their brilliance only surpassed by her radiant smile. The boy was himself, of course, and he couldn’t help but grin like an idiot at the sight of his younger self and his beloved sister, beaming happily for the picture.

 

 “Hey, Lance,” greeted Pidge as she walked into the room. “You doing okay?”

 “Yeah, don’t worry about me,” replied Lance flashing a reassuring smile.

 “Yeah, sure.” She sat down on her chair, leaving empty Keith’s seat between them, and she looked over to see the picture tightly clasped in Lance’s hands.

 “What you looking at?”

 “Oh, nothing, just-,” Lance faltered. “It’s a picture. Of me, and my sister. You know how it is.”

 “You have a sister?”

 “Yeah. Why so surprised?” Lance put on an offended expression before grinning.

 “Just didn’t know,” replied Pidge, curiosity pressing her to ask. “What is she like?”

 “Um, well. She’s wicked smart. You two would get along. And she’s funny, and kind, and talented. We had a band, just us. She would sing and I would play the guitar.”

 “You play the guitar? When did that happen?”

 “Hey! You don’t know  _ everything  _ about me,” protested Lance with a small chuckle. “Yeah, she was my best friend.” He moved to Keith’s seat to show her the picture, happy to have someone to talk about this with.

 “Wait, you two look exactly the same! Are you- ”

 “Yep,” predicted Lance. “I am five minutes and forty-nine seconds older, though.”

 “That’s awesome. What’s her name?”

 “Um-”

 “Dinner is served!” announced Hunk as he entered the dining room with a big plate of food that looked like sushi. “Umm, am I interrupting something?”

 “Nothing,” declared Lance, stuffing the picture back into his pocket, “We were just talking.”

 “Where’s Keith?”, asked Hunk.

 “Who cares? The guy never shows up anyway!” retorted Lance.

 “I’m guessing you’re talking about me,” proposed Keith, sitting on his chair.

 “Yay! We’re all here!” exclaimed Hunk, already taking a bite of a purple space sushi. “Bon appétit, everyone!”

 

 But, as good as Hunk’s space sushi was, Lance would trade it for his mother’s  _ arroz con pollo  _ in a heartbeat.  _ At least they’re safe,  _ he thought sadly, emptily. The truth is that he would give anything for a day with his family. Such is the nature of human desperation. He missed the sun, the rain, the waves, the laughs, the grass, the people. . .

 

He missed it, he missed it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for reading the prologue for my first fic ever! It's gonna get a little crazy from here but please bear with me. Any comments, criticisms (not mean ones, please), and/or kudos are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support and I hope you enjoy the rest of the fic.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr!  
> @miraculousmia
> 
> P.S. I'll try to update at least once a week.


	2. Triumph or Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All they knew was death. All they saw was devastation. All they heard were screams. All they did was kill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Galra are nasties.

 Mara gathered her blade and her knives, packing them into their individual compartments. Her purple ears vanished under her helmet, but she could still hear the footsteps of someone outside her quarters. The door opened abruptly to reveal her sister holding up her mace in a menacing way. Mara reached for her blade, and Dakini put away her weapon, chuckling ever so slightly.

 

 “What is the purpose of your visit?” Mara questioned, scowling behind her helmet at her smug expression.

 “Emperor Zarkon wants to see us,” answered Dakini, well aware of the hostility radiating from her fellow assassin. “We have a new target.”

 “I could figure that out for myself,” asserted Mara.

 “Then, I guess you don’t me to tell you of our new member,” Dakini said, smirking. She clearly enjoyed this kind of conflict.

 “Are you referring to the weakling? What a joke.”

 “Oh, really?”

 “She’ll die within the first ten ticks”

 “That’s generous”

  _I loathe you._

 

 They boarded Emperor Zarkon’s main ship, and made their way to the throne room, expecting to meet the Emperor and his trusted advisor, Haggar. However, once they entered the room, they saw not the Emperor, but the Prince, looking down from the throne.

 

 “Your Highness,” they bowed in unison.

 “Ladies,” began Prince Lotor, “I expect that you know why you are here.” His voice was polished and calm, it filled the room, not unlike Zarkon’s, but in a pleasant way.

 “Yes, your Excellence,” Dakini spoke. “We have a job to do.”

 “Very well,” acknowledged the Prince, standing up from his father’s throne to hand her a data drive. “All the information you need is in this. You are dismissed.”

 

 At that, they bowed and left the room. They strode toward their pod where they met Shakini polishing her sniper rifle. Inside the pod, the youngest of the sisters was running a diagnostic on the vessel, making sure that all systems were functioning properly. Unlike the other three, the youngest was not Galra. She was of a primitive species, a simple creature. She was an experiment, a test to learn how far her mind and body could go, how much they could take. The Empire was in desperate need of quality soldiers, and exploiting a whole population for military resources had become Galran custom.

 

 “We are ready for takeoff,” announced the fourth sister.

 

  It should be a simple operation. In and out. The target was Boris Boyko, a former Galra commander, who was now inciting rebellions among the minority, nonmilitary, Galran population. The planet Zhar had favorable weather, and provided plenty of cover through trees, rocks, and bushes. The facts fed Mara’s confidence. She had spent her whole life training ceaselessly to kill anyone who stood in the way of the glory of the Galra Empire, and her abilities were superior to most. No one had ever overpowered her, and she wished to keep it that way.

 

 They landed discretely a small distance away from the settlement where the quarry was residing. The assassins readied their respective weapons for the strike, all except the fourth, yet to earn a weapon. Mara would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious of what would become of the feeble amateur. No words exchanged, they began the attack. The target’s home was on the left side of the small village, shielded from view by large trees. They surveyed the area for sensors and other protective measures, but there were none. Mara was anxious to go in for the kill and be done with it, but strategy would not allow it. The fourth sister scanned the whole village revealing that the artillery was hidden in a structure in the center of the village.

 

 “We must destroy the armament, but only after we take out the target,” recommended Shakini. “Or else the whole village _and_ the prey will be alerted.”

 “Agreed,” murmured Dakini.

 “However, there is a possibility that doing it the other way around will also alert the villagers, and they might use said artillery against us,” the youngest added.

 “So we split up,” Mara proposed.

 “Yes,” Dakini said authoritatively. “Shakini, take the young one and terminate the target. Mara, you come with me to blow up the weaponry.”

 “No,” Mara argued. “I should go with the young one to finish off the target. A sniper is only useful from a long distance, and I’m the best at hand-to-hand combat.”

 “Fine,” said Shakini. “Just don’t get ahead of yourself, sister.”

 “I would never, _sister_ ,” Mara said triumphantly.

 

 Mara and the fourth sister made their way through the trees, finally facing the domicile of the traitor. Concealed by the foliage, Mara examined the exterior of the small house and found an open window. _Perfect_ , she thought to herself. She jumped through the window and entered the house, not listening to whatever the youngest was saying. She did not expect the 7 foot Galra male suddenly holding her on gunpoint. She easily broke his grip and threw away his blaster, however, and engaged, throwing punches and kicks, which he mostly dodged. He reached for something under a chair, and used the luxite blade to cut through her armor and helmet. She countered with her trusty blade, slashing his ear off with one move. He kept going as if pain did not exist, the man had enough prosthetics so that it might be true for him, but she wasn’t about to stop either. It was a fight to the death and they both knew it.

 

 Out of nowhere, a figure appeared and launched herself at the man. She predicted all his moves and disarmed him. The girl saw the energy blaster and went for it, giving him enough time to get up once more. Mara was just about to attack him when she used the ex-commander’s blaster to fry his organic leg, leaving him wailing on the floor. Mara hated the little pest, but she had to admit that she was a good fighter. Both stood over the victim triumphantly, when they heard explosives going off.

 

 “Initiation,” Mara said, taking her now useless helmet off. “Congrats.”

 

  The man did not speak, he did not complain. He resigned to his inevitable fate honorably. He barely flinched as she pulled the trigger, aiming the gun to his head. The fourth sister felt no remorse, no guilt stirring in the depths of her soul. This was not her first kill, and it would not be the last.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is this?? Idk, honestly. But I had to change the rating to Teen because of it. Again, any comments or criticisms are very important to me (I've just started writing and it would help me a lot), and kudos are a great way of showing me that you like my work so far. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr (Ask me questions!)  
> @miraculousmia


	3. Unarmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All devils begin as angels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much Galra
> 
> Where's Voltron already?

The job was done. The trip back was quiet and uneventful, as usual. Once they reached the main command ship, they reported directly to the throne room, where they found Prince Lotor looking at the stars, seemingly lost in thought. Dakini stepped closer and laid the dead Boris Boyko right in the center of the catwalk. The Prince looked up, as if having just noticed them, and began speaking.

 

 “Good job, assassins, a very good job indeed,” said the Prince in his soothing voice. “You have proved to be skilled, competent, and effective.”

 

 The assassins remained quiet as he continued.

 

 “Unfortunately, not all Galra officials are as proficient as yourselves. If they were, the Voltron Paladins would not stand a chance,” the Prince said, fire in his eyes. “And that is why you have been chosen to personally terminate the Paladins, a great honor, but one that does not come without its challenges.

 The Paladins are smarter and stronger than they appear. We must lure them into a trap and attack when they least expect it. The four of you must be in peak physical condition, we cannot make the mistake of underestimating our foes, like those before us.”

 

 “Understood, sir,” Shakini spoke, “we will train five times harder.”

 “Ten times harder,” added Dakini.

 “That is not enough,” the Prince said flatly.

 “Not enough?” Mara inquired.

 “I have already made arrangements with the Druids,” the Prince confirmed their worst fears. “All of you will be receiving cyborg prosthetics to ensure maximal capacity.”

 “Sir, that really won’t be necessary,” Dakini protested, in vain.

 “You are dismissed, assassins,” concluded Prince Lotor. “Except you, young one. I wish to have a word with you, in private.”

 

 Resistance was futile. They’d have to suck it up and move on, just like they did with everything else. Mara headed for her quarters, regretting every decision she had ever made. Still, it’s not like she actually had a choice in joining the assassin program, she was but an infant. Yet, at this point, she remembered so little of her past that she wasn’t completely sure. Flashes of memory sometimes came to her, and she hopelessly tried to hold on to them, like a small child clings to its mother.

 

 Hours felt like days, as Mara waited to be called for the procedure. She duly wondered which of her limbs would be replaced with a cybernetic contraption. Part of her wanted to run away, to leave and never return, but she buried those wishes deep, for they were not how a Galra should think, let alone act. Fear was a weakness, and weaknesses were not allowed within the ranks of the Galra Empire. 

 

 Her door slid open. It was time.

 

 Her body went numb, her legs began walking on their own. As she followed the Druid to their sinister lab, it dawned on her. For the first time in years, she felt genuinely terrified. The kind of fear that brings chills down your spine, the kind that makes your insides turn, the kind that sends adrenaline to every single part of your body, and she couldn’t do anything about it. The only way she knew how to cope with fear was to channel it into hate, and she had hate to spare.

 

 Her body stiffened as the Druid fastened her to the surgical bed. The Druid said nothing, nothing to her, nothing its assistants. A needle prodded into her arm, and she could feel the sedative flowing through her veins. But it did not knock her out, it merely paralyzed her. She could only watch as the saws tore through her flesh and bone, excruciating pain spreading from her arm to the rest of her immobilized body. After a few agonizing minutes, the pain began fading away, her consciousness began to drift, and everything went dark.

 

 “Wait! How do I capture skybugs?” A young Galran child asked.

 “You just turn on a light source and wait for them to come to you,” she responded.

 “What if they don’t like me?” The concerned child continued.

 “Trust me, bugs don't have very high standards”

 “What is that supposed to mean?”

 “It means that you can finally be with your own kind!”

 “I’m not a bug, Mara!”

 

 At that, they both started laughing. They laughed so hard that they scared the bugs away, but they couldn't complain. For as terrible as the war was, they could always rely on each other for everything. A feeling washed over Mara, an inexplicable ecstasy, an unnatural joy. She didn’t want it to stop, she wanted to stay forever. . .

 

 “Wake up!”

 

 Someone slapped her so hard that she felt tears forming in her eyes. The Druid said nothing after that, instead showing her the door and leading her out of the operation room. She was halfway to her cell when she finally noticed the prosthetic where her right hand once had been. It felt strangely natural, it did everything she wanted it to do without delay and it seemed capable of feats greater than those of her organic arm. 

 

 Only when she arrived at her quarters did she let herself feel the throbbing pain coming from her mechanic arm.  _ What did I do to deserve this?  _ She thought emptily and, suddenly, images of the people she had killed made their way into her thoughts.  _ Maybe I might deserve this after all. _

 

__ Many curses were uttered that night, as she twisted and turned in bed. All she could think about was the dream she had while unconscious. She hated memories like those, they made her feel like something was missing. They made her happy, they made her sad, they made her feel all these emotions she wasn't allowed to feel. But, above all, they made her mad, because they were a reminder of the lost life she was taken away from. The Galra. How she could hate a civilization she was part of was beyond her, but she hated them, every single one. They took a girl and created a monster. She would tear Zarkon to pieces if she had the chance. She hated it all, her sisters, the Prince, the sentries, just everything. She wanted out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Galra is kind of a drag sometimes, but we actually get to the Paladins next chapter!! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. They motivate me to keep writing. Anyways, thank y'all for reading!!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr!  
> @miraculousmia


	4. Into the Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fear and self-doubt, a recipe for tragedy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blue Paladin Allura, yes.

 “Come on, Paladins! We must be able to form Voltron!”

 

 She tried not to show it, but Allura was exhausted. They  _ all  _ were exhausted. The hard truth was that they could not form Voltron, not without Shiro. They had trained nonstop, and flown for hours at a time, and tried to bond relentlessly, but nothing seemed to work. However, she had to portray strength, they were not in a position to give up. Not now, not ever.

 

 “Allura, this clearly isn’t working,” Keith protested. “Maybe I should just go back to my lion.”

 “Keith, for the last time, Shiro wanted you to lead this team and we must respect his wishes,” retorted Allura.

 “Well, if it means I get to fly Blue again, I side with Keith,” commented Lance.

 “Nobody asked you, Lance,” chided Pidge.

 “Nobody asked  _ you _ either!” Lance said angrily.

 “Guys, guys, calm down. This is not worth fighting over,” intervened Hunk. “Maybe we should take a break, Allura. We’ve been flying for- Wait. How long have we been flying for?”

 “Five vargas,” said Coran through the comm link.

 “Thank you, Coran. Five vargas!” continued Hunk. “Wait! What are vargas again?”

 “Nevermind that, Hunk,” interrupted Allura. “We are not resting until we form Voltron!”

 The collective groan from the rest of the team certainly did not change her mind.

 “Hunk’s right, Princess,” interceded Coran, “They won’t be able to form Voltron when they’re this tired.”

 “Fine!” Allura gave in after serious consideration. “We’ll resume training tomorrow, first thing!”

 

 Lions back in their hangars, the team changed back into their everyday clothing, planning on enjoying the rest of their evening before going back to training laboriously the next day. Allura went straight back to the bridge, where Coran was scanning nearby systems for distress signals.

 

 “What are you doing here, Princess?” Coran asked in a concerned manner. “You should be resting like the rest of the team.”

 “I just don’t understand why everyone is so insistent on resting,” blurted out Allura. “We cannot form Voltron. How can we  _ rest _ ?”

 “I understand you’re stressed, Allura, but-”

 “We’re not  _ anywhere _ close to finding Shiro! Volton is nowhere close to being formed! The fate of the universe rests on whether I can fly the Blue Lion or not, but I just can’t, Coran,” Allura said as she sat down.

 “Princess, don’t burn yourself out. We’re all going through a tough time, but it’s not your fault. We’ll find Shiro, we’ll bring him back. It’s just a matter of time,” Coran comforted her.

 “But Voltron-”

 “Voltron or no Voltron, we’ll find a way to keep the universe safe.”

 “Thank you, Coran”

 “No worries, Princess. Everything will turn out fine in the end, you’ll see.”

 

 Allura smiled. Coran reminded her of her father so much. He made her feel at home, even though it no longer existed. She was about to leave for her quarters, maybe even rest a bit, when Kolivan, accompanied by Keith, entered the bridge.

 

 “Princess Allura, I come carrying unsettling news,” Kolivan reported.

 “What kind of news?” asked Keith.

 “We have lost communication with another one of my associates,” informed Kolivan.

 “That makes three since our last attack!” Allura pointed out. “Are you sure they can be trusted?”

 “Yes, Princess,” answered Kolivan. “But there is clearly a force working against my men.”

 “That is, if your men aren’t working against  _ you _ ,” Allura muttered, loud enough so that only Keith could hear her.

 “I trust the blades,” Keith said confidently. “The Galra Empire must’ve been alerted of their presence.”

 “And that is why an extraction must be carried out,” Kolivan exhorted. “I cannot allow my men to be captured or killed if there is something we can do about it.”

 “Allura-” Keith began, only to be interrupted by her.

 “Agreed. How can we help?”

 “I’ll call the others,” said Coran, setting off the alarm.

 

 It took the rest of the Paladins about a minute to get to the bridge. Hunk was wearing an apron, stained with residue from his current culinary endeavor. Pidge was carrying her laptop, still furiously typing even as she ran through the halls of the castle. As usual, Lance was the last to arrive, towel in hand and wearing his blue lion slippers with an annoyed expression.

 

 “I thought this was our free evening!” whined Lance.

 “This is more important, Lance,” said Keith in an uninterested way.

 “Um, well. Is this gonna take very long? You know- ‘cause I have some green bread in the oven that I put a lot of love and effort into,” sputtered Hunk.

 “We are organizing a rescue mission for spies of the Blade of Marmora,” Kolivan explained. “The bread will have to wait.”

 

 Hunk’s disappointment lasted but a second before he lent his full focus on the plan. Kolivan proposed a simple operation; he would instruct the spies to meet at a poorly guarded base on the Outer systems, where the Paladins would swoop in and help them escape.

 

 “There’s one problem: We can’t form Voltron!” observed Lance.

 “Hopefully, we won’t have to,” declared Allura.

 “I’ll set the plan in motion,” concluded Kolivan. “My men should reply within a quintent.”

 “And we will make the necessary preparations,” Allura said, looking around at the Paladins.

 “But it’s supposed to be our relaxing evening!” Lance argued.

 “Well, Lance, we can’t always have what we want,” Pidge said, in a sassy tone.

 “That’s right, Pidge,” Allura extolled. “Let’s get going, Paladins, we have work to do!”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is definitely my favorite chapter so far. I love the Voltron fam and I hope I'm doing it some degree of justice. Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
>  
> 
> *Also, miraculously, Hunk's bread didn't burn and he was very happy.


	5. The Great Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is inescapable, except death.

 Train, eat, train some more, sleep. Mara’s life had become an endless cycle of toil and abuse over the years. A routine of pain and bitterness, if you will. She craved for independence, liberty, a break. She wanted to leave, she  _ needed  _ to leave. It was tiring, it was infuriating, yet there was something keeping her from leaving. Maybe it was pride, maybe it was fear, maybe it was both, but they weren’t about to hold her back this time. Any sane person would have seen how impossible it was to escape, but sanity was scarce these days, and Mara was willing to give anything for her freedom.

 

 Her plan was haphazard at best. She was always more of an actor than a planner, anyways. However, she would need an excuse to leave her room to ready a pod, otherwise it would give away her operation before she even set a foot in the docks. In her room, she thought long and hard, visualizing the escape in her head.

 

 She heard footsteps outside her door. She gripped her blade. The door opened.

 

 “Prince Lotor requests an audience,” a sentry recited.

 

 The opportunity she had been looking for. She gathered her things and walked as quickly as possible toward the throne room, meeting Dakini and Shakini on the way. Dakini was given a pair of robotic legs that could run twice as fast as her old ones. Shakini got cybernetic eyes to ensure perfect accuracy. These prosthetics made them much more powerful than before, and would prove as an obstacle for her escape.

 

 The three assassins entered the throne room, where Prince Lotor awaited them. Besides him was the fourth assassin, displaying various prosthetics along with her weapon of choice, a longbow and a stash of high-caliber arrows. 

 

 “The time has come, assassins,” Prince Lotor announced triumphantly. “My plan has been set in motion. Soon, the Paladins will be but a distant memory, and nothing will stand in the way of the Galra.

 “Your performance has been admirable throughout all of your assignments, but I daresay that the prosthetics have improved your capacity. We will cease the strikes on the Voltron sympathizers, and relocate you to the Outer base.”

 “Sir, with all due respect, how do we know for sure that the Paladins will attack the Outer base?” Shakini queried.

 “My personal assassin has decoded the Blade of Marmora’s transmissions,” the Prince stated. “They will attack that base.”

 

 Once they were dismissed, the assassins headed for their quarters. Mara, however, took a slight detour for the pods. Cautiously, Mara snuck into one of them and began to prepare the it for lift off. 

 

 “Sir, one of the pods is getting ready for take off without an authorization code,” a sentry informed its superior.

 “Pod 0032, you are unauthorized for lift off,” the superior said through the intercom. “Power down immediately or you will suffer the consequences.”

 

_ Yeah, like I’m listening to you,  _ Mara thought to herself, nervously staring at the control panel, which said that the pod was only 20% charged. Suddenly, a troop of sentries caught her eye. She tore through them with ease, her blade comfortably in her hand. 

 

 “Sir, it’s one of the assassins,” the sentry briefed its superior.

 “Then call down the rest!” the superior bellowed.

 “Immediately, sir.”

 

 The pod was at 50%.  _ Maybe I won’t die after all,  _ Mara thought contentedly. Instantly, she felt a chill down her spine. She dodged the shot and knew exactly what was going on. The hunter had become the hunted. She drew her blade and came face to face with Dakini, mace swinging forcefully. Mara evaded the hits from Dakini and the shots coming from Shakini’s rifle. She threw one of her knives at the sniper, destroying her prized weapon. Dakini took advantage of Mara’s momentary distraction and clouted her with her mace, sending Mara plummeting to the floor. The insurgent glimpsed at the control panel in the pod which happily proclaimed the pod was 99% charged. Dakini was about to knock off the former sister with her mace when Mara kicked her down a tried to make it to the now fully charged pod. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a purple blur coming directly for her. Before she could get out of its way, the arrow tore a hole right through her chest. Mara’s mind shot at a hundred miles per hour, desperately searching for something, but not being able to pinpoint what it was. She fell to her knees, struggling to breathe all of a sudden. Her vision began to go blurry, but she was able to discern the shape of the youngest sister, the Prince’s pet. She felt the little hope she had left escaping her body, as her internal organs gave out. No last words, she breathed her last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading another chapter in this hot mess!! Any kudos or comments are greatly appreciated and valued. Hope you have a great day/night wherever you are and I hope you liked this chapter.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr!!  
> @miraculousmia


	6. Rescue Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Paladins are on a mission, but the Galra have one of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brace yourself, folks! We're going for a ride.

 “Keith, watch out!” Pidge yelled as the Gladiator motioned its staff to strike.

 “Thanks, Pidge,” Keith said as he dodged the Gladiator’s attack and slashed its head off with his sword.

 

 Training was Keith’s favorite time of the day. It helped clear his head and hone his skills. With Shiro gone, he found himself training constantly, for hours at a time. He had big shoes to fill as the temporary Black Paladin, though he didn’t necessarily want to.

 

 “Great job, all of you!” commended Allura. “Your combat skills have improved significantly since you first became Paladins.”

 “Yeah,” added Hunk. “How long ago was that?”

 “Like, forever ago!” Lance continued.

 “It’s actually been almost ten months!” Pidge said after checking on her laptop.

 “That’s a really long time,” concluded Hunk.

 “You think that’s long? Zarkon’s been ruling for ten thousand years!” Keith ranted.

 “Yeesh, dude, no need to get all riled up,” jeered Lance.

 “I am _not_ riled up!” barked Keith.

 “Here we go again,” grumbled Pidge.

 “Guys, calm down,” Hunk said, trying to keep the peace.

 “Yes, stop fooling around!” scolded Allura. “Keith, you are supposed to lead this team. Act like it!”

 “Yeah, right. Sorry,” Keith said in an indifferent tone.

 “Guys, ya might want to start getting ready,” Coran said through the comm link. “We’ll be arriving to the base in just a few dobashes”

 

 They practically ran over to the bridge. This was their first mission since Shiro disappeared, so they were each feeling a mix of stress and excitement. Kolivan and Coran were analysing the Galran base, inspecting for possible ways in.

 

 “Wait! Are we really sneaking into that baby base?” Lance smirked. “This is going to be a piece of cake.”

 “Don’t be so sure,” Kolivan warned. “You should never underestimate Galran defenses.”

 “Kolivan’s right,” affirmed Keith. “What do you see, Pidge?”

 Pidge examined the data from Coran’s scan. “There’s about a handful of fighters, a few sentries, and two laser cannons, one on each side of the base.”

 “See! Easy!” Lance exclaimed confidently.

 “Lance, quiet! We need to focus,” Keith snapped at him. “This is a serious mission!”

 “ _We need to focus,”_ Lance mocked him, as usual.

 “Coran, how do we get in?” Allura asked, shifting their attention.

 “If you can make a hole on the bottom right side of the base, you should find little to no resistance.”

 “Unless. . .” Pidge thought out loud as she gave one last look at the data screen. “The scans only account for machinery, not actual organic Galra. For all we know, Zarkon could be inside.”

 “Not likely,” Kolivan assured. “My men and I chose this base in particular because it is run almost entirely by sentries. Usually, there is only one Galra supervisor.”

 “So, what I’m hearing is that we won’t die?” Hunk said as he played with his hands. “That’s always nice to hear.”

 “Enough talking,” Allura said commandingly. “Let’s get going, Paladins!”

 “Um, Princess,” Coran said, fidgeting with his mustache. “I think you should stay here.”

 “What? Coran!” protested Allura.

 “What I’m saying is that we need you here, in the castle,” Coran elaborated. “And after what happened last time. . . It’s just too big of a risk.”

 “Coran, I can take care of myself,” Allura objected, slightly offended at what Coran was saying.

 “I know, Princess,” Coran gave her a despondent look. “You’re just too important.”

 Allura sighed.“Team, change of plans. You go and extract the spies, while I stay and get the castle ready for an emergency wormhole. Understood?”

 

 There was a collective nod from the rest of the team as they put on their helmets and got to work. They were able to easily get through the outer defenses thanks to Pidge’s modifications to the Green Lion. Following Coran’s advice, they infiltrated the base from a hole Pidge made on the bottom. However, once they were in, they were assaulted by the most indescribably horrid smell.

 

 “Coran, what the quiznack is this place?” Lance said in revulsion.

 “Guys, I think I’m gonna hurl.” Hunk managed to get out while trying to resist the urge to puke.

 “Hunk, _NO”_

 “It appears to be a sort of dumpster,” Pidge suggested.

 “Okay, so how do we get out,” Keith said impatiently.

 “There’s an shaft up ahead,” informed Pidge after checking the layout of the base.

 

 They rushed to the exit and, thankfully, managed to make it out without anyone fainting, or puking. They made their way through the halls stealthily. Kolivan was right, so far they had seen only a few sentries, but no Galra. Hunk and Pidge stayed behind to keep guard and try to hack into the system while Lance and Keith continued to meet the spies at the rendezvous.

 

 “The spies should be behind this door,” whispered Keith.

 “What if they’re not?” asked Lance.

 “Then. . . I don’t know,” Keith answered, a bit flustered.

 “You don’t _know!_ ” Lance said in agitated frustration.

 Keith said nothing to defend himself. He wasn’t like Shiro, he wasn’t a planner. Plans usually just went over his head and he ended up improvising anyway, so there was really no point.

 

 “I’m going in,” Keith announced, entering the room, sword in hand.

 “Right behind you,” Lance replied as his bayard became an energy rifle.

 

 Inside the room, three Galra officials waited in battle stances. Their menacing body language triggered a fight response in Keith, who was ready to attack. He then noticed their luxite blades, only possessed by members of the Blade of Marmora, and decided to stand down. The Galra also put away their weapons, nodding in acknowledgement.

 

 “We’re here to get you out,” Keith reported.

 

 “You will try.”

 

 Two figures stood behind them. They wore helmets that hid their facial features, but Keith guessed they were Galra. The tallest one held a mace between her large hands and launched at the spies, sending one of them flying and clobbering another into the floor. Keith rushed to their aid, but the other shot one of his legs. Fortunately, his armor protected it, but he was sure he’d feel it in the morning. Lance began shooting the enemies, creating enough of a distraction for one of the blades to pin down the tallest and for Keith to help the others out of the room.

 

 “ _PIDGE!”_ Keith roared through the comm link. “Close the doors on the rendezvous room! _Now!”_

 “On it!”

 

 Lance got out just in time before the doors closed. Keith busted the door’s control panel to, hopefully, buy them some time. They ran as fast as they could and met Hunk and Pidge not long after.

 

 “What happened back there?” demanded Pidge.

 “No time to explain,” Keith said quickly.

 “Is it scary? I bet it’s scary,” Hunk commented nervously.

 “No, Hunk. Calm down. You’ll be fine,” Lance said reassuringly to his anxious pal. “Now, let’s get outta here!”

 “This way!” said one of the blades, supporting one of his fellow spies.

 

 A sudden feeling swept over Keith, as if someone was watching them. He looked back for a second to make sure they were alone, but the weird sensation refused to go away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something coming straight for him. He dodged the arrow, and motioned to warn the others, but it was too late. The arrow pierced right through the heads of the men they were tasked to rescue. Whoever shot the arrow did it with the intention of killing as many of them as possible. Keith looked to where the arrow came from and was able to discern a dark silhouette amongst the shadows.

 

 “Over there!” Keith pointed to the shape, which jumped out of its hiding place to engage in hand-to-hand combat. It moved swiftly and efficiently, almost immediately disarming Hunk and pushing him back, consequently making him fall over Pidge. With Pidge and Hunk currently out of commission, it was up to Lance and Keith to stop this seemingly indestructible foe. Keith attacked first, casting a series of offenses that were all ineffective. The enemy used its bow to disarm Keith and pushed him into a wall. Lance took advantage the situation and began shooting at the threat. The assassin evaded Lance’s fire, which barely missed Keith, and shifted its attention on him. Lance took a deep breath and focused on getting a good shot at the unbeaten menace. As it inched closer, time seemed to slow down, and Lance shot it in the arm. It wasn’t nearly as powerful as he hoped, but it stopped it in its tracks. Unfortunately, this only made her charge harder at Lance, disarming him instantly and shoving him to the ground. Keith retrieved his bayard and hurried over to help Lance, who was helplessly restrained under the enemy’s weight.

 

 “ _Lance!”_ Hunk’s voice came from somewhere behind Keith. The Red Paladin in question could only watch as the assassin held her hand to Lance’s neck, ready to strike at any moment. Except it didn’t. The hand remained motionless, and the assassin only stared at Lance. It stared at him for a couple of uncertain seconds, and he stared back, not knowing why.

 

“ _Lance?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger? Yeah, sorry.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed regardless, and I will update ASAP. Thank you sm for reading!!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr!!  
> @miraculousmia


	7. Renaissance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rescue Mission Pt.2

Blue. All she saw was blue. The sky was clear, no clouds in sight. The sound of waves crashing into the shore drained the adrenaline from her body, and her breathing slowed to match the melodious pattern. The saline scent filled her nose and brain, and she felt a rush, an ecstasy so invigorating she could’ve cried. She felt the sand between her toes and the breeze cool against her face. Turquoise waters stretched out to the horizon, soft, kind, and bright. She basked in the warmth of the beaming sun, and felt reinvigorated. She absorbed it all in a matter of seconds, yet time seemed to have slowed down. She felt like laughing and weeping and shouting. Where she usually felt empty and devoid of emotion, here she felt so fervent and zealous that she didn’t know what to make of herself. A faint giggle penetrated the silence, which only startled her more once she discovered the noise had originated from herself. She suddenly noticed that she was alone, and she looked around to confirm her suspicions.

 

 A boy, about her age, appeared behind her and, as if it was completely natural, raced her to the water. The boy was tall, his skin was suntanned and even, and his hair was brown and wavy due to the seawater. His handsome face features contorted in the annoyance of losing, then shifting to a malicious grin, he pushed her into the water. She was now wet, she was soaked and she sought revenge. He tried to run beyond her reach before she could pull him in, but tripped and fell into the water. Taunts ensued and laughs were shared, and she felt what could only be happiness. She thought that she must’ve known this stranger. She felt connected to him, she gravitated towards him, but why? She _knew_ him, she was sure. Small memories, sweet and sour, flooded back to her like a hurricane, filling in the blanks of her existence. The town, the beach, her _family,_ and Lance.

 

  _“Lance?”_

 

 Suddenly, Lola was thrusted into a wall. The sandy beaches of Veradera evaporated, and she returned to the dark and dingy chambers of a Galran base. Still slightly dazed, she got back on her feet slowly but ready for forthcoming attacks. But instead of launching at her a second time, the Red Paladin sensed her momentary vulnerability and decided to help the Blue Paladin, perhaps to make their getaway. Her pulse quickened and her senses heightened once again, but words did not come out. She made no efforts to communicate with the Paladins, she gave no signs of having changed alliances. She knew it wasn’t the time, not while they were still in dangerous territory.

 

 “Lance, are you okay?” Hunk asked his friend anxiously.

 “Yeah, fine,” Lance said absentmindedly, eyes shifting across the room.

 “Hunk, help him up, quickly,” Keith said hurriedly, not looking at him. “We’re leaving.”

 

 Keith kept his eyes on the assassin, his grip tight on his bayard, while Hunk helped Lance stand. The assassin stood up, and Keith took a battle stance, but it did not attack. It just stared at him, or at least he thought it was. _Is this what Galran assassins do? Glare their victims to death?_ He wanted to know what it was thinking, and not being able to angered him. The assassin stirred, and prepared to lunge at him. Adrenaline shot to every one of his limbs in anticipation. But the attack did not come from the front but from behind. Keith was able to identify his attacker as the tall assassin they had met earlier. The second assassin went straight for Hunk and Lance. Pidge tried to hold the assassin off, but it was nearly five times her size and overpowered her straightaway. But as much as Keith wanted to help Pidge and the others, he had his own problem. The tallest and broadest assassin swung its mace at him, getting closer to actually hitting him with every attempt. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the assassin that had pinned down Lance running towards the other Paladins. Cursing his incompetence as a leader, Keith darted after the assassin, dodging blows from the mace by a hair.

 

 Shakini was a sniper, not the best at hand-to-hand combat. Which was good, Lola could use that to her advantage. She swept past her fellow assassin and kneed her in the stomach, then, before the sniper could process what was happening, she punched her out cold. Lola shared a brief look with the Red Paladin, whose face showed a mixture of bewilderment and gratitude, but she might’ve been wrong. She turned to Dakini, who was bellowing insults and curses at her, spitting them out like fire. She was able to hear an angry _“Double-crossing snitch!”_ over her pounding heart, but it did not bother her, in fact, she was excited. With Dakini’s undivided attention, the Paladins could escape, and she could have her revenge for months of torment.

 

 Pidge prided herself in her ability to adapt to any situation by understanding her surroundings and taking advantage of them. But she had no idea what was happening at the moment. First, Hunk crushed her petite body with all his weight (bayard cannon included). Once she was able to get up, Lance was on the verge of being murdered and she was surrounded by dead bodies.Then _more_ assassins entered the picture and she was on the floor again, alive only because one of the assassins had a change of heart. This mission was definitely _not_ going according to plan. Pidge checked the layout of the base for the quickest way out and calculated the risks of each route at breakneck pace. She settled on a route through the main hallways that led directly to the garbage chute. It wasn’t the stealthiest route, and they would surely meet plenty of sentries, but it would have to do. “This way!” She called after Keith, who looked as stressed as ever.

 

  Lola was overwhelmed for sure. Her mind was exhausted and she felt like taking a ten hour nap, at the very least. Instead, she had to fight the colossal skyscraper that was Dakini. Her previous excitement had worn out not long after the Paladins left, and now she just wanted to end it. Lola dodged hit after hit, while striking back as well. If she ever hoped to defeat Dakini, she had to get rid of that goddamn mace. She reached for the longbow on her back to use it as a melee weapon. With it, Lola attacked viciously and erratically, throwing Dakini off and, eventually, sending her mighty mace crashing to the floor. Finally, she had an edge over her opponent. If she continued with her current vigor, she would surely taste victory. Lola's lips curled in a defiant smirk, and she relaxed her muscles to continue fighting. However, just as she was about to engage, she sensed movement behind her. Shakini must be waking up. _Dammit! Knew I should’ve killed her,_ she thought irritatedly. Instinctively, Lola turned around and shot an arrow straight at her head. She certainly did not want to deal with two assassins. Immediately after, she realized her mistake. She let her guard down. Dakini, mace in hand, charged at her, full force, and clouted her so hard she could feel her inner organs turn in protest. She got up as quickly as she could and prepared for the nastiest fight of her life.

 

 Over the span of a few seconds, Dakini became two times faster and five times stronger, and Lola knew why. Dakini didn’t show it much, but she genuinely cared for Shakini, for they were not only sisters by title but also by blood. In any other circumstance, she would have felt empathy for her. She loved her brother and may God help anyone who even thinks about hurting him, but this was not the time to set up a therapy session for an assassin. Dakini aimed kicks and punches, and swung her mace at her, but rage made her attacks sloppy. It was now or never. After making distance between herself and Dakini, Lola grabbed an electric arrow and aimed for her chest. The move was so sudden and unexpected that it took Dakini by surprised, and she howled in pain at the discharge of electricity running through her body. She aimed another electric arrow at her legs, successfully disabling them and ensuring her victory. Dakini seemed to recognize this, because she didn’t look up. She didn’t say a word, and neither did Dakini, and both were secretly grateful. She pointed an arrow at her head, and still Dakini said nothing, she died taking a vow of silence. And she concluded that Galra were not fond of last words. The stench of death plagued the room, and the taste of blood left her mouth thirsting for water, but, hopefully, the Paladins were gone by now and she could focus on getting herself out of this hellhole.

 

 But the sentries just kept coming! The Paladins were surrounded by them, and they were getting tired. Or at least, Hunk was getting tired. He could really go for some food goo right about now, or literally anything but being trapped on a bridge above a massive pit, fighting off Galra sentries nonstop.

 

 “Hey, guys! Why can’t you just give us a break!” Hunk shouted at the sentries. “You know, a time out!”  

 “I don’t think they understand you, Hunk!” Lance said, pointing his rifle at a very resilient sentry.

 “I know that!”

 “We can’t keep this up!” Pidge said before slashing the head off a sentry.

 “Why can’t we just call Allura?” Hunk suggested, sounding more exasperated than he meant to.

 “We can’t! Too much interference!” Pidge yelled back at Hunk.

 “We’re on our own,” Keith stated flatly, hoping internally that Allura, or Shiro, or someone could swoop in and save them, but he buried those hopes deep down. They were on their own.

 

 On the other side of the shaft, a door opened. The sudden noise startled Keith a little, and Hunk a lot. Four shapes stepped onto the other bridge, locked in an intense struggle. Keith looked over for a second and recognized one of the assassins and three sentries, who lost their heads not long after that. The assassin was unreadable under the mask, yet he couldn’t help feeling as she was really on their side.

 

 “Wait, she’s helping us, right?” Hunk said hopeful.

 “I don’t know!” Lance said brusquely, with a pinch of sarcasm. “Why don’t you ask her?”

 “Hey!” Hunk shouted over to their new ally. “A little help?”

 

 But she appeared to have her own problems. An enormous beast stood on the other bridge to replace her conquered challengers. The beast was easily ten times her size, and could probably lift a school bus as if it were a pen. The last thing they needed right now was for that beast to come for them, so they had to get out of here now.

 

 “Nevermind! You seem busy!” An even more nervous Hunk spoke between shots.

 “I need-” Pidge began but was rudely interrupted by a sentry, which she gladly disarmed and deactivated. “If I could just plug into the system, I might be able to deactivate the sentries!”

 “Do it!” Keith shouted, strain distinguishable in his voice.

 “I can’t!” Pidge said, her heart pounding so hard that she struggled to talk. “Outlet’s broken!”

 “Where’s another one?” asked Lance, who had been unusually quiet up until now.

 “Um, there’s one right outside that door!”

 “That’s just great!” Lance said sarcastically. “How are we going to get you over there?”

 

 Keith looked over to the assassin’s side and was amazed at her technique. Somehow, she had climbed the beast’s back to where it could not reach her, and she aimed an arrow at its neck. The arrow did not penetrate the beast’s thick skin, but she used it as a hand-grip to continue climbing onto the beast’s head. Now on top of the massive creature, she was vulnerable to its mighty arm swings. She aimed another arrow at its skull, still not penetrating, but causing enough pain to work as a distraction. She jumped off the beast while simultaneously shooting an electric arrow at its chest, hopefully buying her more time. The assassin reached a fully functioning control panel and pressed buttons Keith could not see because of the distance. Suddenly, the sentries they were struggling to fight off fell to the floor. Whoever this assassin was, Keith would have to thank later, but they had to get out of here now.

 

 Whether the assassin defeated the gigantic beast was not of any importance to Keith now, all that mattered was getting his team safely into the castle and not to fail on his first mission as leader. Then it dawned on him, he _had_ failed. The whole purpose of this mission was to extract the Blade of Marmora’s spies safely, and they were all dead. Killed by the same assassin who was now helping them. Anger flooded Keith’s consciousness. Maybe she didn’t deserve their gratitude after all.

 

 Fortunately, they made it back to the rancid garbage chute and the Green Lion without issue, and were promptly off. They were almost safely in the castle, but then fighters began to approach. “Come on, Pidge!” He wanted to take the controls from Pidge and blow up at least some of the fighters, but this wasn’t his lion and he needed to respect that. Still, that didn’t stop him from snapping at her in annoyance for something that was completely his fault. They had managed to get a signal out to Allura, who was disappointed that they hadn’t been able to rescue the blades, but relieved that they were okay. Finally, with the Green Lion sitting happily in its hangar, the team rushed for the bridge.

 

 “Where did all these fighters come from?” Allura asked without expecting an answer.

 “This was an ambush!” Kolivan acknowledged. “Somehow, they knew we were coming.”

 “Knew we shouldn’t have come here,” Allura whispered to herself. “Particle barrier up!”

 “Too bad we aren’t staying,” Coran commented confidently, polishing his trademark mustache.

 “Paladins! To your stations!” Allura commanded.

 “There are too many of them!” exclaimed Lance. He shrieked in a barely contained way before saying, “I lost my defense drone!”

 “I got you,” Keith said as he maneuvered his drone and blew up three fighters.

 “Good one, Keith,” Pidge commented lightheartedly, while Lance sulked at his sudden uselessness.

 “We have to make distance between ourselves and the fighters!” Allura stated forcefully, directing lasers at a cluster of fighters.

 “We’re surrounded!” Hunk said nervously, yet composed.

 

 At that, a small section of fighters was miraculously destroyed, small but enough. “We have an opening!” Coran cheered. And through the wormhole they went. Keith could’ve collapsed right then and there. Lance couldn’t wait to take a shower to get rid of the garbage smell. Hunk wanted a bite of something to eat, and Pidge was checking the ship’s diagnostics so she could maybe take a nap later. The weight of a failed mission hanged on their shoulders and flattened their spirits. They felt lost, useless, and incomplete. They were missing something- someone.

Where are you, Shiro?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally came around to finishing this! Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, let me know by leaving a kudos or a comment. If you didn't, let me know where I can improve and what you would like to see! I really enjoy writing this and I want others to like it as well.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr!!  
> @miraculousmia

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thank you for reading my very first fanfic. Any feedback and comments are greatly appreciated. My goal is to update at least once a week (or more). Thank you all again!!!


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